Resident to sue New Forest District Council over house fire on Hyde Close in Sway

A MAN who rescued his 86-year-old grandmother from a devastating house fire in Sway says he plans to sue the council over the blaze.

He pulled his disabled nan from the council property on Hyde Close after flames erupted from an immersion heater in her bedroom around 1am last Wednesday.

Accusing New Forest District Council of negligence, he said a fault not identified in the boiler’s annual inspection only two months earlier was to blame.

Speaking to the A&T about their ordeal, he added that the smoke alarm – replaced within the past year – failed to go off, and a warped front door hindered their escape.

“My nan could have died, and I want them to realise that they’ve done wrong,” the 34-year-old, who does not want to be named, said.

But NFDC maintained its confidence in all health and safety checks.

He also complained about the authority’s delays in arranging suitable temporary accommodation.

Recalling how the drama unfolded, he told the A&T he was woken after falling asleep on the living room sofa by his grandmother shouting down the stairs that there was a fire in the house.

“I ran upstairs to see my grandma coughing over the bannisters – she can’t get down the stairs without the stair lift,” he said.

“Flames were coming out of the airing cupboard in her bedroom – right near where her head would be in bed.

“Nan was going to try to get down on the stair lift, but I told her, ‘We’ve not got bloody time for that’.

“I held her arms to help her downstairs so that if the fire did boom out, it would get me instead of her.”

He added their escape was delayed another two minutes by the front door being warped – an issue reported to NFDC two years earlier.

Firefighters from Brockenhurst, Lymington and New Milton battled intense heat to extinguish the blaze in two hours.

The first floor was completely destroyed, and the ground floor water damaged.

The resident believed pressure levels were not checked, which led to the fire.

“I don’t want anyone to get in trouble with this. I just want to make sure they get things done properly,” he said.

Referring to the faulty smoke alarm, he commented: “My nan wakes up at 1am every morning to go to the toilet. If she hadn’t done that, we would both be dead.”

NFDC initially placed him in a Premier Inn near work, while his grandmother stayed in his mother’s one-bedroom flat in Boscombe.

He complained the only other immediate option given to them had been she move into a rest home, with him sleeping on the floor.

Initially praising two NFDC workers for their support, which included £100 each for clothes, he was frustrated they failed to tell them plans for a move into a caravan on Monday had fallen through over the weekend.

The pair spent about three hours at NFDC’s Appletree Court headquarters in Lyndhurst with his mother, trying to get something sorted.

They were eventually moved into a caravan at Milford’s Shorefield Country Park until tomorrow (Saturday), when they’re due to move into a two-bedroom lodge in Lymington for two weeks.

Intending to take legal action, the complainant highlighted the events’ toll on his grandmother’s health.

“I haven’t been away from her for over four years. I’m her carer. She’s like my second mum,” he said.

“We lost everything, and nan’s insurance will only cover £6,000 of belongings.

“I think we have every right to get compensation out of the council. There will be solicitors involved as nan could have died.”

He added he would “fight to the death” to get the house back.

An NFDC forensics team was due to have examined the building on Wednesday.

Responding to the criticism, an NFDC spokesperson explained the property was being assessed.

“We have been working closely with the family since the fire and understand what a devastating impact fires can have on people,” they said.

“We are confident in all our health and safety checks as landlord and have recently published our safety compliance data for 2023/24.

“In terms of types of emergency temporary accommodation in cases like this, there is often an immediate response whilst we work to secure a more suitable long-term option.

“Such options are provided in response to requests from the tenant, rather than being imposed on them by us. Where these requests can be met, we do our utmost to find suitable accommodation.

“We will continue to work with the family so the impact of the fire can be minimised.”

The spokesperson added: “This incident serves as a reminder that we should all be regularly checking alarms and doing what we can to prevent fires.”